Verdict: 3.5/5
Sitting at a cool two hours and 28 minutes, Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator 2’ is a quality sequel to the classic 2000 movie starring Russell Crowe.
The story is set two decades after the events of the first movie.
It follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), who is captured by the Roman Army led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) as they forcefully occupy the land of his small town, Numidia on the Northern African coast.
Lucius is later traded as a slave and bought by Macrinus (Denzel Washington) who makes him fight in the Colosseum as a gladiator, which is being run under the rule of twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caraculla (Fred Hechinger).
Lucius hopes to bring down the rule of the Emperors and restore Rome to its former glory all while seeking revenge.
The story is good, but it does at points feel incredibly derivative of the original, which would be fine if it was being marketed as a remake not a sequel.
The moments where the movie is trying to pay homage to the original film feel a bit cheap and, in the end, take away the emotional impact from a big reveal that should have really brought the story home.
Despite being quite a long movie, the plot, in my opinion, needed more work to really flesh out the world and the character’s motivations.
All the characters seem to be surface level in their pursuits throughout the movie like General Acacius being quick to change to fight against the empire he has served loyally for many years for no clear reason.
It felt too convenient for the story and lacked a depth of reasoning behind the decision.
Despite this, the story did hit all the important points it needed to in order to deliver a well-rounded narrative.
The action sequences were a massive standout and deserve to be seen on the big screen.
From brutal fights showcasing hand to hand combat to Lucius fighting apes and a charging rhino, there is some massive fight scenes, all of which I think were very well executed.
It is an explosive movie that I think nailed the action moments, making the overall movie better.
The acting was another standout for me.
All the main actors worked hard to deliver incredible and believable performances.
Standouts for me were Mescal’s portrayal of Lucius’ deep and quiet rage and
Quinn’s terrifying performance of Emperor Geta who played into the craziness enough without it being a caricature of what a crazy emperor might be.
Overall, I think it is a fun and entertaining flick that delivers an electric action movie that should be seen at theatres.
See this movie at Hoyts Penrith.
Emily Chate
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.